Buoyant soap holder



March 22, 1949. W 1, zAwADzKl 2,465,050

BUOYANT SOAP HOLDER Filed April 9, 1946 Ey @M Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUOYANT SOAP HOLDER Walter J. Zawadzki, Cheektowaga, N. Y.

Application April 9, 1946, Serial No. 660,753

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a soap holder, and more particularly to a buoy-ant holder designed especially to hold cakes of soap of various sizes while the holder is buoyantly supported by water within a bathtub.

I am aware of the fact that there is provision made in various ways adjacent bathtubs, for holding or retaining soap, but the soap so held or retained is not always easily accessible from the diierent positions assumed While taking a bath. Non-floating soap, when lused for bathing, results in encountering difficulties in locating .the soap, and iloating soap, while always seen and readily accessible, becomes soft and is, therefore, used excessively and quickly consumed.

It is one of the objects of my invention to Iprovide a buoyant soap holder which will float on the water within a bathtub and retain the soap without 'any portion thereof being submerged in Water; thus resulting in the economical use of soap, due to the fact that it is maintained in comparatively dry condition.

Another object of my invention is to provide a buoyant non-tipping soap holder in which the center of gravity is such that a cake of soap casually or carelessly placed or llipped into the holder will become centered therein; both with respect to its length and width and thus guard against tipping of the holder while floating on the water.

Another object of my invention is to provide a buoyant soap holder which can be used for general purposes, by associating therewith a suitable bracket or support from which it can be easily removed yand placed within a bathtub so as to float on the water within the tub and render the soap easily accessible when taking a bath.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a holder having a, depressed soap-receiving space or chamber and an air-tight surrounding casing into which the depressed portion extends so that the center of gravity or the center of notation is beneath the surface of the water when the holder is buoyantly supported by the water.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a soap holder having a marginal top wall, a bottom wall and end and side or vertical walls constituting an outer casing, and -a depressed soap-retaining portion extending downwardly from the inner edges of said marginal top wall so as :to have a depth greater than one-half the height of said vertical walls and wherein said depressed soap-retaining portion serves 4as an inner casing, completely closing said -outer casing and having its side and end walls sloping downwardly and inwardly, and further wherein said depressed portion has a bottom wall parallel or substantially parallel with and spaced from the bottom wall of said outer casing, thus providing an air-space which surrounds said depressed portion and extends lunderneath the same.

A still further object of my invention is to provide 'a soap holder with a bead -around its perimeter for association with a loop forming part of ya bracket into which the soap holder is Ito be placed so that the loop supports the holder by contact with said bead and in which said loop is provided with means for suspending or supporting the same with the soap holder removable therein.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a soap holder stamped of sheet metal and comprising a lower part and an upper part, said upper part being seamed to said lower` part in an air and water-tight manner and said upl-,per part having a depressed portion extending well into said lower part, said lower part Iand said upper part each being so formed that when joined together, an air-space is provided between the two parts so as to render the soap holder buoyant.

With the above and other objects in view to appear hereinafter, my invention consists of the novel features of construction, and in `the arrangement and combination of parts to be here, inafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my improved soap holder, showing the same supported by a bracket adapted to be suspended from a wall or other upright object. n

Fig. 2 is a detached -perspective view of the bracket designed to hold the soap holder proper.

Fig. 3 isa transverse section of the soap holder showing the same supported Within the bracket.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the soap holder, the bracket for the same being omitted.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a holder embodying my invention in modified form.

When form-ing the holder in preferred form, it is stamped of sheet-metal and comprises a lower part 6 and an upper ypart 1. The lower part 6 is formed into a comparatively deep traylike portion having an imperforate bottom wall 8, vertical walls in the form of side walls 9 and p end walls l0; it being open at the top. The upper part 1 is formed into a soa-p chamber Il. having concaved downwardly-inclined Side walls I2, straight lined downwardly-inclined end walls I3 and an imperforate bottom wall I4. At the upper ends of the side walls I2 and end walls I3 the metal is directed outwardly to form a ange I5 parallel with the bottom walls 8 and I4 and serving as the top wall of the holder and it is thence bent downwardly to form peripheral depending wall portions IB in spaced relation to the upper portions ofthe downwardly incli-ned walls I2 and I3.

Near the lower ends -of the depending wall portions I6 an outwardly-extending bead II is formedwhich is continuous around the four depending wall portions I6. The lower ends ofthe latter are offset inwardly to form flanges I8 Abeneath said bead. When joining the upper and lower parts of the holder, the flange If8"fts""slnugly within the upper portions of the vertical or side and end walls 9 and I0 of the lower part and the upperedges of said walls bearjagajinst the bead I 'I of `the" upper' part; Thus assembled, the seam formed between; the: lower Iand upper parts is soldered or brazfed so as to render the device air andi viirte1-tigilt. The suie and end walls s he wand thebottorn wall 8 of? the lower part, taken with the flange I5 and the depending portions I@ V wit-h 4the bead VII and flanges I8 inay be lconsld'er'ed anj outer casing", while the soap chamber II` depressed `into saidf outeifcasingr may be consi'd'e *d'the inneifcas'ing ofthe' holder.

Due to the fact that the depressed lport-ionf-Qniifng the soap cnagmber extends down into the o u'i'lery casing a distance below the horizontal vcenteno is, tlieofe, below: the horizontal center' ff tle device when unweighted and floatingY onf a body ofuwater'and it mayhere loe"stated that the1 space I 9j between the inner and outer c'a'sing's serves asania pace;

W'hen the two parts of the device are' joined toeIher`-inI the narnnrM stated; or in any other approved manner which will render; the device' ai'and'wtr tight; the hide win be rendered with or without a cake o'f soap placed' in the sap chamber. Thus the soap willi be kept iff comparatively dryn condition so that4 when a ca ke ofusoap is placed in the soap chamber, it will` not become s'otandy con'seuently will' not weerl awayY easily witl'ir use. This results in econ; Oiny in the use of the soap and e'labl'l-s"they Calli of site?) tot@ applied t tire bath-'brush 6r other mdiuin us'd in bathin' witho't eicessive application of soap:

Moreover, when the empty soapA l'iolde is oating on the v "r` within a bathtub and the plane o iinf f fi'tatio is' beneath' the' lvl or the waterippant entry of the soapz into the` soap chamber may inov theV holder from' aposition of qui'snce, but the cake of sa'p will; find its cen'- tral position within th' SOaJ habe without causing the holder to no within' the water. By having tli'bottorn of the'soa'p chamber imperfoiate, no wate'r ent' from below and only water adhering to the soap and flowing therefron'f may enter' and timez the weight or the'- wielding wm not unduly sect th'juyancy of the' device.

I'tto be'note'd'in Figl 3 that soap of two differ'- en't sizes are shown inV dotted lines,A `the heavy dottedlin'es 29 designating' a small cake` f soap,v while'thfiighter'dbttd unes 21' designate a cmpaativly laglcalte of s'oap. In ach instance, due to nge inclination' given' the' side and ric walls` of the soap' chamber', the` cake of soap will center' itself withinythe' soap" chamber; and thus retain-v so'ap holder horizontal position.

the latter, the piane" 6r une f flotationA particularly since the soap chamber is centered both transversely and longitudinally.

Brazing of the two parts of the soap holder together is effected in a manner that will not deform the shape of the bead I'I formed on the upper part of the holder, said bead beingr adapted for Contact with a bracket 22, which may be constructed of wire bent into the shape of a loop 23 conforming-,to the outline of the soap holder. In'tlie bacletshown, the' ends of the wire forming this loop are secured to a fastening device in the form of a plate 24, having openings 25 formed therein for screws to fasten the bracket to a wall or other vertical object, or it may be secured to the wall or other object of any other approved manner'.

The utilization of this bracket in connection with my improved soap holder is to enable the latter to be used for general purposes as well as for `use within a bathtub, since the bracket may be fastened in? place'above a wash-stand and the soap holder suspended therein so' that the latter rnay be easily removed from the bracket and utiliaed' forV bathing purposes when desired. It

is, of course, understood that the buoyant qualiholder in order to loosen and remove the from thev bracket.

As clearly shown in Fles. l` and 3, the bead I'I of the soapholder serves asv a support or rest for theV latter'when placed: within the bracket, since A this bead liesY in Contact with the four sides ol'.

the wire loop 2I and' thus carries the weight of the soap holder and the cake'4 of soap therein.

Irfthe modification shown in Fig. 5, my invention is" ernbodied'- in a holder formed of plastic material andy in this instance the walls of the outer casing and the soap" chamber' are integral. In the preferred construction above described, the vertical or sideand end walls 9 and I0, the bottom w'all 8 and the marginal top wall I5- constitute the outer' casing o'f the" soap holder while the downwardly-inclined side walls I2, the downwardlyin'ol'in'ed end walls I3 and the bottom wall ill constitute'th inner casing, otherwise referred to the" soap" chamber. In this modification, as well as in the preferred construction above described, th'airspace I 9 between the two casings extends botht underneath the soap chamber as well as around the latter and I wish to stress that the formation of an air-space between the bottom walls of the' outer and innercasings is of decided importance since it re'ndesthe soap holder more buoyant and' aids materiallyr against any tipping action of the soap holder under careless entry of the' soap into the latter, particularly when such an ehtryis' made under ilippant' action of the bathe; Parts in this modification which are similar to parts of the preferred construction are designated byfsimilarnumerals of reference.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimis: l

1. A buoyant soap holder, comprising a deep traylike lower member having a bottom wall and side andl end walls) and a top member having a soap chamber provided with an imperforate bottorn wall, side and end walls, a marginal top wall extending outwardly from the upper ends of said las'tfmentioned side and end walls and depending portions extending fromv said marginal top wall, saiddepen dir'ig portions having an outwardly projecting bead near their lower ends and having the portions thereof beneath said bead offset inwardly with respect to the portions"thereolc above said bead, said offset portions being entered in said lower member and the upper edges oi" the side and end walls of said lower member being in Contact with said bead, the seam thus formed between said members being rendered air and water-tight and said bead projecting outwardly beyond the outer surfaces of the side and end walls of said lower member to serve as a stop When the holder is slipped into a bracket or support, and an air chamber beneath the soap chamber and entirely around the same.

2. A non-tipping soap holder to be used buoyantly in a body oi water, said holder having' a bottom wall, vertical Walls rising from said bottom wall, a top wail extending a short distance inwardly from said Vertical Walls and a soap charnber depending from said top Wall in spaced relation to said vertical walls and said bottom wall so as to provide an air-space between said soap chamber and said vertical and bottom walls, the bottom Wall of said soap chamber being imperforate and on a level beneath the surface of the 6 water in which said holder is buoyantly supported, the structure so formed being air and water-tight and its changing plane of oatation, depending on its wielding, being arranged so as to prevent tipping of the device when floating on Water.

WALTER J. ZAWADZKL REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 345,918 Palmer Juiy 20, 1886 991,848 Hendrich May 9, 1911 1,005,919 Allen Oct. 17, 1911 1,209,074 Thieme Dec. 19, 1916 1,404,730 Bandy Jan. 31, 1922 2,098,374 Bullock Nov. 9, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 230,660 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1925 

